Some kids watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. I watched infomercials. My favorite was for a chemical that magically removed paint from wood without damaging it. I didn't have any antiques covered in layers of paint, but I wanted that chemical product. I had to see for myself: how did it work such magic? The truth is, it probably didn't. Infomercials are ...

Accenture today became the first major sponsor to officially dump Tiger Woods in the wake of the scandal surrounding the golfing superstar's marital-fidelity woes. "For the past six years, Accenture and Tiger Woods have had a very successful sponsorship arrangement and his achievements on the golf course have been a powerful metaphor for business success in Accenture's advertising," the company said ...

Approval of brands campaigning via social media goes up after people have interacted with them, finds Webtrends survey More than three-quarters of people under 35 are happy for brands to contact them on social media sites, but half would leave a site if it became too commercial. Research by Webtrends found 85% of consumers are positive about brands interacting with them ...

Scottrade, the online investing firm that has attracted do-it-yourself investors through its trademark $7 online stock trades and commercials featuring its founder and CEO flying a purple helicopter, is announcing an updated branding approach and new advertising campaign that launches nationwide today. The new branding and integrated campaign includes an updated logo, a new tagline that encourages people to "Get Invested" ...

The movie director Brett Ratner recently brought his brand of Hollywood salesmanship to the Manhattan headquarters of the global casino chain, Kerzner International. Ratner, best known for the $850 million-grossing Rush Hour action-comedy franchise, was keen to show CEO Sol Kerzner his latest opus—a collection of print ads, TV commercials, and online games that Kerzner hopes will generate some cinematic glamor ...

The recession is slimming down the diet business. Though the $59.7 billion industry rose 2% in 2009, that's way down from its historical rate of 6% or higher annual growth, said John LaRosa, who runs Marketdata Enterprises and BestDietforMe.com. The industry has taken a beating as high-priced diet programs lose subscribers to cheaper weight-loss options - or no diets at all. ...

Kellogg, the nation's largest cereal maker, is being called to task by critics who object to the swine flu-conscious claim now bannered in bold lettering on the front of Cocoa Krispies cereal boxes: "Now helps support your child's IMMUNITY." Of all claims on cereal boxes, "this one belongs in the hall of fame," says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd ...

The Super Bowl is more than a month away, yet CBS says it has less than a handful of remaining commercial slots for the game. CBS has sold 95% of its 62 ad slots, says Jo Ann Ross, president of network sales. This despite the fact that the nation still is climbing out of the economic downturn and that two of ...

Coke may be the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but Pepsi's 2.5-minute "Oh Africa" is the first World Cup ad to make the viral chart, and portends well for Pepsi's revamped social media strategy. Pepsi took a pass on the Super Bowl for the first time in 23 years in 2010, and CEO Indra Nooyi has ...

The day when commercials are indistinguishable from the programs they support finally arrived -- just before 10 p.m. Eastern last Thursday night. That's when an ad for Dr Pepper ran after NBC's insider-y sitcom 30 Rock, making use of recurring character Dr. Spaceman, played by comic Chris Parnell. In the spot, which was paired with a more-traditional TV commercial for the ...

YouTube's first serious attempt to monetize web video -- text overlays -- is still the most effective, with click-through rates that are eight to 10 times higher than other ad formats, according to the company. Get ready for more of them. The new move won't get more brand advertising on YouTube, but Google's hope is it will create more of a ...

In a new YouTube video about San Francisco International Airport, the helpful taxi dispatcher is played by a smiling Mayor Gavin Newsom and there are two cute cameo appearances by Marion and Vivian Brown, the kooky 83-year-old identical twins who have become beloved San Francisco icons. Designed to promote SFO as the connecting hub of choice for travelers coming to the ...

After all the hype and hoopla, we at MedaiBuzz have chosen our picks for the top five Super Bowl commercials of 2010. Agree? Disagree? Post your favs and tell us what you think below! #1Snickers: Betty White #2Doritos: Dog Shock Collar #3Kia: How You Like Them Now? #4Monster.com: The Fiddling Beaver #5Cars.com: Super Bowl Ad 2010 Commercial

The late-night TV skirmish continues: Jay Leno and David Letterman, who traded sharp barbs last month over NBC's late-night maneuvering, appeared on camera in a short promo for CBS'Late Show with David Letterman during Sunday's Super Bowl— with Oprah Winfrey as the referee. The 15-second spot, a sequel to a similar commercial featuring Letterman and Winfrey that aired in 2007, opens ...

What a sick, sick ad from Trojan condoms just in time for Valentine's Day. So sick, I can't help but love it. My favorite line might be, "Are you sure you're good? Because I was originally thinking syphilis or maybe herpes." The spot, created by Kaplan Thaler Group, is part of "The Gifts" campaign. I'm sure it'll get some people's knickers ...

There will be no Michael Phelps. Let's get that straight right away. The Winter Olympics, which began with Friday's opening ceremonies in Vancouver, will probably not produce the next sports endorsement giant on the scale of Mr. Phelps, who won eight gold medals in Beijing during summer 2008. For one thing, none of the athletes in Vancouver will be competing in ...

Due to the baseball playoffs, we've accidentally seen a lot of TV commercials and we offer these thoughts: 1. The lady in the Symbicort asthma-inhaler commercial has a nice set of lungs. Literally. The rest of her is in silhouette, but her lungs light up, E.T.-ishly (perhaps to distract you from the "asthma-related death" disclaimer). Still, we can't look away. Yikes. ...

James Lipton does a lot of things well. Grilling celebs, making disturbingly serious eye-contact and... giving over his beard to teens faced with alarming text message conundrums? Take a look at what LG and Young & Rubicam have rigged up for a new ad campaign against texting mishaps. Because he's hot, oven-mitt hot. Hiss, hiss, hiss. Because Claire will never know ...

So 2010 is rearing it's head and that can only mean one thing. OK, it can mean a whole lot of things, but for some, it means that it's time to reflect on the lessons learned from 2009 and begin looking ahead to what's in store for 2000 & 10. (Like that? Just trying out something new, feel free to steal ...

When it comes to Tiger, even non-news is news these days. Media outlets exploded with word that Gatorade would be dropping the Tiger Focus line of beverages. Some even portrayed the company as being the first of Tiger Woods corporate sponsors to take a stand in response to his bad behavior. Only problem is that the company had been planning to ...